Concerned Cat Mom

Hi All!

I am new to this site and am currently in a tough spot with one of my cats. She was from the Humane Society and is currently a year and a half old. She has always been a little bit of a scaredy cat, and not super social, but when I got my other cat just 7 months later, they were inseparable. They were never apart, and played all the time together, although my older cat (Niah) tended to sleep under the bed for the majority of the day. A few months ago, she started sneezing and sniffling, and I took her to the vet and they put her on an antibiotic, and she seemed to improve, but 2 months later I noticed her smacking her lips and not using her nose. The vet said she was a healthy weight, (7 lbs for a gray tabby), but since then it seems like she may have lost weight. I can feel her spine when petting her lately. I did take her to the vet for a second time, had bloodwork done which all came back normal, and the vet said the antibiotics must not have worked so she got put on a month of amoxicillin. Once again she seemed like she was improving. Just two days ago I had some people over and moved the piece of furniture she lays under in the living room around for someone to sleep on, and for the past two days she has been almost intolerable. She is hissing at everything, and everyone, including her buddy, my other cat, Faith. She for the past 6 months just seems SO unhappy, and I'm not sure what to do about it or how to fix it, and now I'm convinced I pushed her over the edge by moving the furniture. She was almost screaming for an hour that day, growling, moaning, and making a horrible high pitched scream. She is now currently back in her old hiding space (I moved it back) and hisses at anyone that comes near her. I'm having trouble deciding if I should take her back to the vet, after a near perfect bill of health besides the URI, when I had described my concerns about her "scared" behavior, it was brushed off as something else… I'm not sure what to do next… Thank you for any help!

Tara 

I'd continue working with your vet. There still could be a medical issue going on that the blood work didn't catch.

Feliway diffusers can help with anxiety.  I know they've helped with my older cat, Pi.  She used to spend all her time under the bed, and now she is out and more engaging. 

There are things you can do to increase her self esteem.  Sometimes it's all about territorial insecurity. Create vertical space and engage in play with her. (By vertical space, I mean cat shelves to get her off the floor where she can feel safe and observe her world. Also cat trees.  Anything she can claim as territory that will get her off the ground.)  You could also place encapsulating cat beds around the house. She can feel safe and snug in them and be able to observe without feeling exposed.  Here is an example of one: 
Hope this helps.